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The invention generally relates to archery equipment and, more particularly, to arrow rests.
Many arrow rests are known to support an arrow shaft prior to and after release. The most basic rest is a flat or angular surface. Rests attempt to minimize the amount of friction with the arrow to prevent damage to the arrow or fletching (e.g., feathers) and to increase the reliability of each shot. Minimizing the restraint of the arrow, however, can result in the arrow slipping from the rest when the bow is tilted or rotated radially or when drawing an arrow, which is often the case during hunting.
Some arrow rests attempt to provide radial support to the arrow shaft to prevent the arrow from slipping when tilting or rotating the bow. Most of these devices, however, impart severe frictional resistance to the passage of the arrow unless the fletching is oriented rather precisely to the radial openings in the arrow rest. Repeated use of these devices can likely result in fletching wear, which decreases the overall effective lifespan of an arrow. Other devices, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,849 address such problems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,849, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. However, even with these improvements, repeated use may result in some fletching wear.
Other devices attempt to reduce friction and wear to the fletching by providing gaps between supporting elements in the arrow rest. Generally, an arrow does not travel in a straight line when it contacts the supporting elements in such devices, and thus, the fletching can likely impact against the supporting elements. Repeated use of these devices can likely result in fletching wear.
Additionally, subjecting the vanes to uneven contact can cause the arrow to deflect when traveling through the rest. Thus, such devices tend to reduce the accuracy of an arrow shot. In one arrow rest, a slot is placed in the outer ring. In some of these devices, the sound of drawing the arrow through the rest can be readily noticeable by the human ear, and even more importantly, by the hearing of wild game.
The present invention comprises systems and methods for providing a frame of an arrow rest including multiple arrow supporting elements. Embodiments of the present invention may take a wide variety of forms. In one exemplary embodiment, an arrow rest frame includes a plurality of first projections and a plurality of second projections. The frame includes a first surface and a second surface. The plurality of first projections, which includes a first resistance, extends from the second surface. The plurality of second projections, which includes a second resistance, extends from the second surface. The first and second projections define an aperture in which an arrow may be radially supported. The first resistance is greater than the second resistance.
In one embodiment, the first projections include a first diameter and the second projections include a second diameter. The first resistance correlates with the first diameter and the second resistance correlates with the second diameter. In another embodiment, the first projections include a first density and the second projections include a second density. The first resistance correlates with the first density and the second resistance correlates with the second density.
In another exemplary embodiment, a system includes an archery bow, a base member coupled to the bow, and an arrow rest coupled to the base member. The arrow rest includes means for radially supporting an arrow relative to the bow. The supporting means includes a first projection and a second projection. The first projection includes a first resistance and the second projection includes a second resistance. The first resistance is greater than the second resistance.
In one embodiment, the first projections include a first diameter and the second projections include a second diameter. The first resistance correlates with the first diameter and the second resistance correlates with the second diameter. In another embodiment, the first projections include a first density and the second projections include a second density. The first resistance correlates with the first density and the second resistance correlates with the second density.
In a further exemplary embodiment, a method includes coupling a plurality of first projections and a plurality of second projections to a surface of a frame. The first and second projections extend from the surface of the frame. The first projections include a first resistance and the second projections include a second resistance. The first resistance is greater than the second resistance.
In one embodiment, the first projections include a first diameter and the second projections include a second diameter. The first resistance correlates with the first diameter and the second resistance correlates with the second diameter. In another embodiment, the first projections include a first density and the second projections include a second density. The first resistance correlates with the first density and the second resistance correlates with the second density.
An advantage of the present invention can be to reduce wear to an arrow fletching.
Another advantage of the present invention can be to reduce the noise resulting from drawing and releasing an arrow.
A further advantage of the present invention can be to reduce the frictional resistance imparted to an arrow during loading and release.
Yet another advantage of the present invention can be to provide support to an arrow prior to and during release of the arrow.
These exemplary embodiments are mentioned not to summarize the invention, but to provide an example of an embodiment of the invention to aid understanding. Exemplary embodiments are discussed in the Detailed Description, and further description of the invention is provided there. Advantages offered by the various embodiments of the present invention may be understood by examining this specification.